However, her predecessors left with “Stara planina”
A few days before leaving Bulgaria, American Ambassador Hero Mustafa received the Order of the Hungarian Horseman – First Degree from President Rumen Radev.
This is the third most prestigious order of Bulgaria. Most often, it is given to ambassadors whose mandate has expired. Hero Mustafa should leave Bulgaria today, and the new ambassador Kenneth Merton is expected to arrive in the second half of March.
Only a day earlier, the Ukrainian ambassador Vitaly Maskalenko left the hall of arms of “Dondukov” 2 with the same order. Although Radev formally followed the protocol when awarding them, practice so far shows that ambassadors from countries with which Bulgaria has better diplomatic relations are most often awarded the “Stara Planina – First Class” order. The last recipient of such a distinction was the former Greek ambassador, and before him the Polish one, etc. Hero Mustafa’s predecessor, Eric Rubin, also left Sofia with the highest state award in 2019. It was handed to him by Radev. Rubin’s predecessor, Marci Rees, also received such an award, but from President Rosen Plevneliev.
“Today’s ceremony is an expression of appreciation and high appreciation for the dedicated work and indisputable personal contribution of Ambassador Mustafa to the development of the strategic partnership between the USA and Bulgaria”, praised Radev yesterday. According to him, from her first day she worked with dedication and energy. She led the mission “in a period marked by unprecedented regional and global challenges”.
“We will continue to rely on the US for the modernization of our armed forces,” said Radev. Then he added to the priorities cooperation in energy, in strengthening the rule of law, the fight against corruption, terrorism and organized crime.
“It is a great honor for me to be awarded the Order of the Madar Horseman. I take it as a testimony of our successful cooperation over the last 3.5 years and a symbol of the deep and lasting alliance between our two countries. I am proud that the USA and Bulgaria are friends, partners and allies”, Hero Mustafa replied. She also thanked all Bulgarians for the friendly attitude towards her and her family, who have managed to feel at home here.
